College football: Florida hires Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State

Wire reports

November 26, 2017Updated: November 26, 2017 11:04pm

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, STF

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen gives an official a stare during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Spurned by Chip Kelly and seemingly unwilling to risk waiting for Central Florida's Scott Frost to possibly do the same, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin turned to Mullen. The Gators announced the deal after Mullen told the Bulldogs players he was returning to Gainesville.

"I have such great memories of the championships we won during our time here and have a love for Florida," Mullen said in a statement.

Stricklin vowed to make Florida fun again when he parted ways with coach Jim McElwain last month. For a week, it looked like Kelly might pacify a frustrated fan base. But Kelly chose UCLA over Florida on Saturday, and Stricklin was left to look elsewhere. He made the safe choice, one that won't be wildly popular with the Florida faithful.

Still, Mullen, 45, has a résumé that is hard to ignore. He has 13 years of experience in the Southeastern Conference, knows Florida well, has recruited in the Sunshine State and led the Bulldogs to a bowl for a school-record eight consecutive years.

Mullen spent nine years in Starkville, posting a 69-46 record that included a 33-39 mark in SEC play.

Graham ousted

at Arizona State

Todd Graham changed the culture at Arizona State, adding a dose of discipline to a program that had been missing it.

He helped the Sun Devils become better in the classroom, and upgraded their facilities with his penchant for connecting with donors. The one thing Graham did not do, at least consistently enough, was win games.

The school fired Graham after six seasons - a day after an emotional comeback victory over rival Arizona.

Graham energized Arizona State's program when he left after one season at Pittsburgh in 2012.

The fast-talking Texan, which coached Rice to a 7-5 record in 2006 before leaving for the coaching job at Tulsa, cracked down on the free-and-loose Sun Devils, turning them into a yes-sir, no-sir program with rules on everything from profanity to hair length.

The players responded to Graham's old-school approach, playing and practicing with more discipline, getting better grades and winning games.

Only the winning tailed off. Arizona State went 17-19 the last three seasons, missing the postseason in 2016.

This season, the Sun Devils (7-5, 6-3 Pac-12) finished second in the Pac-12 South to Southern California and will be headed to a lower-tier bowl.

Graham, 52, has three seasons left on a contract that runs through the 2020 season and is owed $12 million.

Tennessee ends

Schiano pursuit

Tennessee no longer is pursuing Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to be the school's new coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press..

The school and Schiano were close to an agreement early Sunday, but the deal fell apart after widespread backlash that included a protest on campus and complaints on social media from fans, state representatives and gubernatorial candidates.

Their complaints stemmed from Schiano's background as an assistant at Penn State during Jerry Sandusky's tenure as Nittany Lions defensive coordinator.

Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in prison for his conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse.

Court documents released last year of a deposition in a case related to the Sandusky scandal suggested Schiano might have been aware of Sandusky's sexual abuse against children, though Schiano says he had no knowledge of what was happening at the time.

The Vols are seeking a new coach after the Nov. 12 firing of Butch Jones.

Mississippi says

Luke is the man

Mississippi has decided to keep Matt Luke as its football coach.

Luke, 41, spent the past season as the Rebels' interim coach, taking over after Hugh Freeze resigned in July following a university investigation into his phone records. The school announced Luke was the permanent coach on Twitter on Sunday night.

Luke led the Rebels to a 6-6 record, including a 3-5 mark in the Southeastern Conference. He finished the season with a 31-28 upset victory over No. 16 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.